It was
nighttime, and torch flame danced all around.Link swallowed and held his breath.He crept forwards, his back hunched over in a cautious crouch.Finally, he reached a line of wooden crates and
had a chance to relax.He sat his small
self against the wooden structures, trying to regain his composure.

It was odd,
because Link never recalled ever feeling this paranoid about a moment in his
quest before.It was like his defenses
were about to crumble away and he’d not be able to stop it.The fact that it was nighttime did little to
console him.

The boy
took a deep breath, and peered up and over the crates.He could spot the length and width of the
Pirate’s Fortress quite well from his vantage point, and the place was teeming
with female guards.He knew very little
about these seafaring Amazonians, thus he could barely make any judgment about
their notoriety.There was no reason
for the boy to end a life or start a fight with any of them.So what Link settled for was a plan to
strategically knock out a few of them so that he could make his way to the
ladder at the bottom of the metal tower, climb up, and work his way from there.

There was
one guard coming up rather close to Link’s right.She was armed with a spear, like the rest of them.Somehow her violet colored tank top and
velvety leggings standing against the amber firelight made her an easy
target.The boy whipped out a deku
stick he had been saving since the morning he entered the Great Bay.He waited until she had passed and had her
back to him.Then, under the shelter of
the falling moon, he dashed out from behind the crates, approached the woman pirate
with his deku stick raised, and brought it down swiftly across her back.

CRACK!!

She had no
breath to cry out, and her body fell unconscious in a second.

Link
dropped the deku stick and glanced around, panting.Afraid that somebody might have seen him.And yet, he was still good to go.With the rest of the path from there to the
tower open to him, Link made a run for it….

….and
inexplicably tripped on a rusted hole in the metal ground.

WHUMP!!!

The boy’s
body fell to the ground.

Link winced
as a shock of pain swept through him.But what was most painful was just how loud a sound he had made.

And of
course…it betrayed his presence.

“HALT!!!”
came a sharp, womany voice.

Link
gasped.He jumped up to his feet and
spotted a woman dashing towards him from his left.She had a spear raised and she glared at him with amber eyes.

“You go no
further!!!”

In a blink,
he had his sword whipped out and he deflected her spear.But he swung the sword too hard, and it
slipped from his grasp!!

CLANG!!!The blade stuck into the ground a few feet
away; inaccessible without confronting another guardswoman with a spear.

Link bit
his lip and ran desperately towards the tower as fast as he could.But suddenly he found himself squaring off
with two other guards.

“HALT!!!”
they both shouted in feminine unison.

The boy
realized that he still had his Hylian shield.He whipped it out and pressed the weight of his whole body into shoving
one of the two women away.But the
shove turned into a scuffle, and she ended up grabbing the shield and falling
back with it.Thus, Link was totally
defenseless right as the second guard came charging with her spear.

He ducked
and rolled to the side, but not without the blade of her spear catching the
right shoulder of his tunic and ripping the green garment in half.His roll turned into a tumble and he landed
awkwardly against another line of crates, feeling thoroughly bruised.

He heard
dozens of footsteps around him; soft and poisonous.His eyes opened to a circle of curvy pirates aiming spears at
him.It was over.He had been caught.

“That’s as
far as you go, little mister!” chanted one of the dangerous ladies.

“What do we
have here??” one hummed, stepping forward and placing her hands on her hips.

Another
chirped:“It takes courage to come
thieving in the pirates’ fortress!”

Young Link weakly
stood up.The cold air of the night was
working torture on his now-exposed chest.That or he was mesmerized by the proximity of the serrated metal spears
before him.

“Check out
the little boy!” mused the leader, walking into the spotlight.“Far away from home!The little punk thought he could find
company with us, ladies!Who does he
think he is?”

“Awww….but
isn’t he cute, though??!”

The other
pirates giggled, and they sounded rather girlish.Slowly, they seemed to be closing in on the boy.

Link
fingered his pouch, tied to the rear of his belt.He knew he had some deku nuts handy to strike the ground, blind
his opponents, and make a run for it.But….for some strange reason….he didn’t do that….

“Poor
thing….look what we did to his tunic!” hummed a pirate who was suddenly at
Link’s left.She fingered the shredded
halves of his shirt and made a pouting face.“He’ll catch cold out here all alone!”

Link
blushed, for suddenly a pair of female arms were hugging him from behind.

“Well,
we’ll just have to keep him warm ourselves, won’t we?” a voice murmured into
his ear.

Again, they
all giggled…in cadence….like bird songs.

And their
arms turned into feathers as they smiled their way towards him in a
circle.With eyes and lips and legs and
crimson hair.

He bolted
upright in his cot.The light of
morning announced itself softly from behind his curtain door.The fresh air of a Terminian dawn swept
through the Stock Pot Inn.

He blinked;
watching the visions of pirate women dance away in the corners of his mind.Feeling them less and less in the corners of
his body.The boy suddenly realized how
uncomfortably warm it felt underneath his covers.

He
attempted to whip the sheets off him.But in doing so, he took one glance down and gasped; covering himself
back up in an instant.An unmistakable
shade of red ran across his cheeks as he took a second, horrifying look.

And a wave
of disgust and embarrassment surged through the thirteen-year-old like never
before…

******

Downstairs,
in the lobby.

“So what happened
then?” Anju asked, sipping deku juice.

“Well…,”
Kafei smirked.“…he said, ‘If you’re
from the West, at least make sure your bones are dry before eating!’Hahahaha….get it?”

His wife
chuckled.“No….No, I don’t get it.”

“Yeah…well….Mutoh
thought of it.”

“Figures.”

A pitter
patter of feet….then Link emerged from the bottom of the stairs.His face seemed flushed, and in a
suspiciously paranoid manner he walked briskly up to Anju and gestured.

Anju ‘read’
him and blinked.“Um…why, no….I-I haven’t
done the laundry today, Link.But I was
going to—“

The boy
nodded, turned around—nearly bumped into the wall—then ran up the stairs.

“What was
that about??” exclaimed Kafei with a curious raise of the eyebrow.

“I don’t
know!” Anju replied, humored, before returning to her deku juice.“I’ve never seen Link so desperate to do the
laundry before!”

“Well, as
long as it saves us from breaking our backs, I’m happy for his enthusiasm!”

******

A half an
hour later, Link arrived at the laundry pool at the southwest corner of Clock
Town.He was far from the only person
there.All around the pool, busy
citizens of Clock Town were dipping their loads of clothes and sheets into the
waters, giving them a good scrub down against washboards, and ringing them out
before being taken somewhere to hang and dry.

But it was
a less busy day than normal.Link had
only done the laundry on a few occasions before (he tended to help around in
most other chores of the Inn), but today he was very….very glad to do it
himself.

He wasn’t
glad for a few other things, though.For instance, he had forced himself to wear his backup clothes; a
dark-dark gray tunic with a matching cap.It was something he made for himself in a desperate but feeble attempt
to recreate his classic green garb.But
somehow it didn’t look so right in his opinion, and he put it aside forever
just because of that dislike.

But today,
he’d rather be wearing anything except for the normal tunic he worked in,
fought in……and slept in.

When he
reached the waters, he knelt with his bucket of linens and washboard and
prepared to go to work.He was quiet
about his task; like he had been quiet about everything his whole life.But what he did, however silent, nearly
deafened him.It seemed as if he woke
up with a sudden sense of self-awareness, of vulnerability, and of
feelings….feelings he never felt before.It was unnerving.It felt like
he was losing his guard.He had to
concentrate…unless he was losing his mind.

A sound
startled him.A soft sound.He glanced innocently towards his left.In the distance, beyond a mother and child
playing with a dog, he saw two girls his age squatting besides the pool with
their own load of laundry.They both
looked at them and giggled.One of them
whispered something to the other and they went back to their work, trying not
to appear like they had been staring his way in the first place.

Link went
back to his own work and bit his lip.He knew it….he could feel it….he was blushing.But why?Did they
trigger it?How did they trigger
it?None of this was making
sense.A senseless morning.

The boy
sighed and glanced up at the moonless sky.

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

“My mother
was the sweetest person who ever lived.Hehehe…I guess all little girls would say that.She gave me the sweetest smile whenever I
made her happy…which was a seemingly hard thing to do cuz as much as I
remember, she was sick in bed a lot.I
don’t think my father truly means anything bad by it, but he says that my
coming into this world was what finished Mother off.He loved her so much….just like I did.When she passed on….it devastated him.Father’s never been the way he used to be….”

Zelda
strolled alongside Link in a promenade overlooking the royal gardens.

The boy’s every sense was trained
on her.His whole attention was in tune
to her voice.

“Being
anywhere in this castle reminds me of her…,” she drifted and reminisced.“It breathes and smells of her.It echoes with her footsteps.Did I ever tell you she was one of the chief
designers of the East Wing?Yes…she
helped put this place together.She
spread life into it.And….i-it makes me
happy to think that the more I’m living here….the more I’m living with her and
her spirit.”

After a
silent pace, Zelda’s movement came to a stop.She whirled about and looked at Link.

“Well…..I’m
glad somebody’s finally here who will listen….,” Zelda went off.A beat.She snapped out of it and leaned forward—startling Link.“Do you have any memories of your mother?”

Link stared
at her.There was a space of empty
confusion between his eyes.He blinked
and looked off….thinking.

“You
know….,” Zelda smiled.“Your mother!”

Link was
silent.He made a gesture to raise his
hands—paused—then signed a few blurred words.

Zelda did a
double-take.“Say what??”A pause.Then she smirked.“Link….of
course you know that only Kokiri grow from the roots of the The Great Deku
Tree!”

Link
blushed and she giggled.

Then she
said, “But you’re Hylian, remember?”

He looked
at her.

“Didn’t you
tell me you found that out after cleansing the Forest Temple of Phantom
Ganondorf?” Zelda remarked.“The Deku
Tree Sprout!It told you that you were
a Hylian raised by the Kokiri.You….Y-You do realize that, right?”

Link
scratched his head.He shrugged.

Zelda knew
he was hesitantly admitting that.Why?She wasn’t certain.

“Then do
you remember your mother at all, Link?” she asked.“If you didn’t pop out of a tree, you had to come from
somewhere!”

The boy
looked straight at the princess.Rather
calmly, he gestured forth a question.

“What do
mothers have to do with being born?”

Zelda was
taken by surprise.Not that such was an
uncommon thing when talking to Link.“Wh-What do you mean by that?Of
course you know…….um………y-you must know that we all come from…..er…..that babies
come from…….um….”

Link stared
at her blankly.

The
princess gasped and cupped a hand over her mouth.“Y-You don’t know, do you??”

He shook
his head ‘no’.

“Oh………...OH…..”Suddenly, the princess went into a fit of
giggles.

“???” Link
rose an eyebrow as if the princess was a total loony.He was beginning to pout, and had it not been for her beauty he would
have stopped looking at her laughing form.

“Ohhhhhhh,
Link,” Zelda wiped away a tear as the chuckles began to subside.“The world could do with more innocents such
as yourself.”

His eyes
were imploring.

That made
the royal daughter gulp.“Y-You can’t
be serious.You want ME to explain??”

Zelda
giggled once and place a hand on his shoulder, “Nothing to feel bad about!The circumstances of your youth!I understand!”Zelda stopped for a moment.“Then that must mean….when you went seven years into the future…..and
met me……you couldn’t possibly have felt—“

Link
glanced at her, immensely curious.For
she had stopped in mid sentence.His
look said everything:

“Think
what?”

Zelda felt
like she was going to faint.She
moaned, “Ohhhhhh….this is gonna be a long afternoon.Come, Link.Let’s go
someplace remote where no one can see you blush.”

Not knowing
what horrifying knowledge lie ahead of him, the forest boy smiled victoriously
and followed the princess off towards the gardens.

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

So deep
into his thoughts was Link, he didn’t realize where he was going until he
bumped into a tall person in front of him.

“Excuse
me!” the man said and rushed off into a nearby huddle of bodies.

Link snapped
out of it and realized he was almost losing grip of his basket of Stock Pot
laundry.He took a glance at where he
was—West Clock Town.It would appear
that the usual noonday crowd of masculinity had gathered in and outside the
Swordsman’s School.But today, the
crowd appeared extraordinarily large…excited….curious.

This same
curiosity overcame the clothes-bearing-boy, and he couldn’t help but wander
over and investigate.Wander over, he
did.And—placing the basket of clothes
in a seemingly safe place—he swimmed his small way through the crowds of
onlookers and into the heated interior of the School itself.

A ring of
men had gathered around a tiny arena where a duel was taking place.Across the sandy circle, two combatants were
pacing across from each other with swords in hand.Each wore a protective layer of leather armor—made to absorb the
piercing attack of a sword before it could enter the skin.This was a mere training duel—not mortal
combat, which was illegal in Termina.

Link
recognized the taller of the two as Lead—the enthusiastic guard who regularly
served under Captain Viscen’s command in Clock Town.The second man totally surprised Link.After a double-take, he realized that it indeed was Mordun—the
Xonan visitor who had escorted the Feordian Priestesses into their stay at the
Stock Pot Inn.

Off to the
side, Therald was cheering—having thus broken his shy shell for the sole sake
of rooting on his companion.He wasn’t
alone.All the men were excited to see
who would win in a face off between the stranger mercenary from Xona and the
local soldier from everyone’s beloved Clock Town.In the crowd Link could spot Adasmith, Kirk, Mutoh, Crow, and
even the Postman!It seems as if
everyone had turned out for this occasion.

“Show no
mercy, Lead!”

“Yeah!Give him the Clock Town fury!”

“He can’t
take all of us one on one!”

Therald had
the sudden guts to cheer out:“Sh-Show
him who’s boss, M-Mordun!”

A round of
boos, hisses, and laughter.

“Give them
room, men….,” boomed the voice of the wise and ever-serene Swordmaster.The hairy little man sat cross-legged at the
platform towards the rear of the room—where he got the perfect view to judge
and critique the duels in action.

Mordun
grinned.He never kept his eyes off
Lead for a second. Not only that, but
he was silent.Observing.

Lead, on
the other hand, was full of words.“Your luck is about to run out, outsider.”

“Please….call
me Mordun,” the bearded fellow grinned.

Lead
started it.He let out a growl and
jabbed his blade forward in a blink of an eye.

To the
young fellow’s surprise, Mordun had anticipated it and had spun to the side
before Lead could even thrust.There
was a cry, and Mordun slapped the guardsman on the back with the flat of his
blade.

“YIPE!”
Lead stumbled forward and his helmet fell over his eyes.

Everyone
laughed….including Mordun.

Lead got
back to his feet.He gritted his teeth
and approached Mordun.He started to
approach from all angles, constantly attacking whenever he got the chance.At each instance, Mordun would merely
deflect with his own blade and literally push Lead back.Lead was sweating and putting forth a
workout.Mordun—on the other hand—was
hardly shifting his feet an inch.

Link
watched with major interest.Just then,
a heavy hand clasped on his shoulder.He gasped loudly and spun around—looking up.

“I’ll tell
you what….it’s not everyday you see a man that good at a blade,” said
Kafei.There was an extra layer of
intention in the sound of his voice.

But Link
didn’t quite make it out.He merely
nodded dazedly.For the clanking sounds
of metal against metal and the heat coupled by combating bodies and rushing
adrenaline brought back an instinct that raged inside of him.An instinct he knew too well—for he felt it
months on end when he had to battle the odds of evil itself.

“Ugh!I can’t believe what waifs our soldiers are
becoming!” Mutoh spontaneously spurted from the crowd.“To think this measly Xonan beat off five of
our guys already!”

Link
gasped.Five opponents defeated?

The
Swordmaster lifted his head and spoke to the crowd:“He accomplishes his mastery by thorough training, no doubt.And with precious knowledge from generations
of powerful teachers.If this is the
product of Xona…then I am indeed more than proud to see it exercised in my
dojo.”

There was a
muttering of agreement and reverence from the crowd.

Mordun took
the moment to sheathe his sword and drink from a pitcher of water.

The Swordmaster
wasn’t finished:“I must say,
though.I’m gravely disappointed that
none of our merited soldiers have been able to match this humble mercenary!I’m tempted to ask once again; is anyone out
there fully trained and honorable enough to challenge him to defeat?I’m almost afraid to ask this…for never
before have I seen a man win six times in a row in my School.And a foreigner of all things!”

A rise of
noise and commotion.

Therald
smirked.

Mordun
leaned against the Swordmaster’s platform and caught his breath.Soon, he too was smirking again.

“What about
Captain Viscen?!” exclaimed Kirk.

There was a
loud murmur of agreement until Crow had the guts to say:“He’s on a mission in Ikana right now!”

And so
there was a noise of shame and disappointment yet again.

Kirk shoved
Crow and Crow shrugged.

Kafei
suddenly smiled out of nowhere and looked down at Link.

Link looked
up at him.At first, he was
curious.Then the boy gasped.And he furiously shook his head ‘no’
pleadingly at Kafei.

“Well?” the
Swordmaster again addressed the group loudly.“You didn’t all come here for a tea party in such numbers, did you?”

Everyone
laughed nervously.

“Who will
challenge this worthy opponent from the North?”

Kafei
cleared his throat and—to Link’s horror—cupped a hand around his mouth and
shouted:“I know somebody who will!”

“Who??”
the crowd muttered.

Link yelped
as a strong hand pushed him square in the back and out to where he stumbled to
a stand in the center of the sandy arena.

Whatever
noises had been in that room were nonexistent now.All the enthused men grew silent.Adasmith and Mutoh’s eyes widened in hope.Kirk and Crow smiled.Lead—who had actually lingered in the
back—stood on the ends of his boots to see the young lad.

Link bit his
lip and tried not to blush.He had been
in here before.

And he
was known……

For the
first time that day, a subtle smile came slowly over the Swordmaster’s
face.“Why….if it isn’t the Green One.”

As if on
cue, a gentle rise of cheers and applause came over the crowd.

Mordun and
Therald were hardly surprise.They
merely exchanged glances.And it
seemed—at least to Link and Kafei—as if they had somehow expected this turn of
events.

As the
applause died, the Swordmaster continued:“A newcomer to Clock Town….a mere boy at that….and yet within the last
two years he’s become the only undefeated student I have ever had the pleasure
of witnessing.”

Murmurs of
acknowledgement…

Link cast a
death glance at Kafei.Kafei suppressed
a laugh and bore an ‘I’m sorry’ shrug.

The
Swordmaster leaned forward, looking humored: “Though….I must ask….why is the
Green One not dressed in green today of all days?”

Link spun
and faced the teacher.Though his eyes
didn’t show it, the boy’s mind traced the day back to the morning.And the thought of that finally brought out
the blush to his cheeks.

Nobody knew
what it meant, but they chuckled merrily anyways.

“Never the
matter,” the Swordmaster leaned back.“Does the silent young man choose to challenge the master from Xona?”

Everyone
cheered.A gradual chant grew from the
crowd.Something to the extent of
‘Green One!Green One!’.

Link looked
at Kafei.Then he looked at Mordun and
Therald.

The two
bodyguards smiled back. And when Mordun gave a brave thumb’s up, Link got his
answer.

“Green
One!Green One!Green One!”

Suddenly,
Link raised his hand and faced the Swordmaster.

The
chanting’s fever pitch fell.

Slowly,
Link swallowed and nodded with a meaningful little smile.

“Yaaaay!”

Kafei
clapped loudly.He knew of Link’s
skills.He saw his weaponry.He knew that someway—somehow—the boy had
learned things from his past that gave him a chance to prove himself.

And this
was the arena….

“Give him a
blade!” the Swordmaster said.

The
chanting arose again—softer this time—as a man of Viscen walked over with a
sword which Link promptly unsheathed and inspected with still blue eyes.When another man walked over to offer him a
leather bit of armor, the boy declined.He had suddenly turned into a machine; systematic and meticulous.He knew what he was doing…like it was
greater than breathing.And you don’t
need leather armor to breathe.

Therald
leaned over and whispered into Mordun’s ear.“Th-This is where we st-stop showing off….I-I think….”

Mordun
nodded and firmly spoke back:“You’re
smarter than you give yourself credit, Therald.”He whipped out his sword and approached the center of the sandy
arena where Link was already prepped and ready.“Are you willing to take me on?”

Link
automatically nodded.There was no more
blushing this time.There was no more
smile.Something concentrated and
surreal had taken over the little boy.

Mordun
interpreted this as something much more superficial.It was a gentleman in him as opposed to a coward that turned up towards
the Swordmaster and spoke out loud:“I
will fight him…..but I don’t see much justice in doing so.He is but a child.”

The
chanting stopped completely.

The
Swordmaster’s eyes narrowed on the Xonan as he said:“This is no mere chicken guard to be plucked so easily out of the
arena, Sir Mordun.This boy is one of
my most respected students; more than capable of matching Viscen himself.With the sword, he is as grand a man as
ever.And I trust you to accept him
that way.”

Mordun
didn’t have to think twice to believe the Teacher.He smiled and politely bowed to everyone as he said:“Then mark my words….a soldier from Xona
takes it easy on no man…..no matter the height.I am honored to duel with you….and may the best talent win.”

Link smiled
briefly and bowed with great earnest before setting his position across from
Mordun.

Mordun did
so himself….and soon the whole room was poised for the start of the match.

But this
time….Therald was biting his nails.

“Ready?”
the Swordmaster rose his hand.

Link’s eyes
narrowed.

Mordun was
silent.

“Set!”

Kafei
beamed.

Crow and
Kirk wrung their hands.

Lead,
Mutoh, and Adasmith were breathless.

The
Swordmaster’s hand fell.“FIGHT!!”

The first
attack was Mordun’s.And it was an
attack of desperation.He took a deep
breath, ran, and literally flipped over Link.It summoned a huge gasp from everyone in the room—including the
Swordmaster—because nobody suspected a man of that muscle and girth to be
capable of doing such a maneuver.

But when
Mordun came down on the other side of Link….and when he brought his sword down
to hit the boy….Link parried.

Mordun
immediately did his trademark leg-sweep.

But Link
jumped back…and just in time too, for Mordun was thrusting forwards at
body-length with his sword.

In
indescribable grace, Link drifted to the side, deflected Mordun’s thrust, and
sent him ambling towards the side of the arena.

Cheering
spectators jumped back as Mordun unleashed a surprising spin attack at the end
of his trip.He expected Link to be in
the line of attack.

Link
was…..but he was ducking.The blade
went completely over the boy’s head as he crept a foot, rolled to the side, and
jumped up in time to deflect Mordun’s fifth attack…when sent the man stumbling
backwards.In exercising all five
cat-like maneuvers, Mordun had thoroughly exhausted his beginning bout of
energy.

Now it was
Link’s turn….

“HIYAAAUGH!!!!”CLANK!!

The silent
boy’s sudden scream was loud and it was furious.It threw Mordun into a brand new,
never-before-seen frontier of the term ‘surprised’.He found himself stunned—backing up and
blocking blow after blow after blow after rapid blow that the short blonde was
suddenly and mercilessly unleashing.

“HAA!!HURRAAAUGH!!RAAA!!!”

CLANG!!CONG!!WHANG!!CLANK!!!

Sparks
flew.Metal clashed.Sweatdrops fell.

But they
were all Mordun’s sweatdrops.He could
only parry as Link drove him in circles around the sandy arena.

At one point, he did manage to get
a thrust in.He knew Link would block
it….he just didn’t know how.Link spun around and slashed his sword down in an awkward,
behind-the-back downstroke.This pinned
Mordun’s blade to the sand.The man was
shocked when Link put all his weight onto both blades, twisted his body
vertically like a top till he was upright and directly facing Mordun with his
hand still on the hilt.

“!!!” Mordun backed up.Just in time too, for Link brought his sword
into an instant upwards arc that would have easily clipped off the Xonan’s
nose.

There was a throng of laughter and
Mordun realized that—in his panicky effort to outstep Link’s range of attack—he
had left his sword pinned to the ground a couple of feet away.

A devilish smirk came to Link’s
face.He gracefully kicked the sword up
into mid-air with his boot, spun around, and struck the blade dead center like
one would a ball.CLANG!!

It came flying at Mordun.He flinched until he realized just how
it was flying at him.He reached a hand
out and grabbed the hilt easily as one catches a snowflake.

Link had tossed it back at
him….by striking it in mid air.

The Xonan’s jaw dropped.

But he didn’t have anytime.Link let out a cry and…well…..spun at him.

W-W-WOOSH!!CLANK!

Mordun parried and it was the same
old game again.

Link drove
him in circles….literally.There was
cheering and shouting and clanging and all the other assorted noises of
regulated chaos.

Soon,
Mordun had very little breath—or will—to fight left.Even if this was mortal combat, he realized in horror that
he wouldn’t have a chance against the little spirit of blades.But he had one final attack to make.Or so he thought…

He jumped
back, making one of Link’s swings meet nothing but air.There was a gasp from the crowd as the Xonan
himself yelled and dove forward with an overhead swing.

But alas,
Link rolled to the side and shoved Mordun in the ribs.The man spun dizzily.As soon as he caught the boy coming in the
corner of his eye, he swung a desperate horizontal arc.Before it was halfway through, Link
deflected it to a stop and suddenly spun with a high-aimed kick.

THWAP!!!

The blade
was deflected out of Mordun’s hand where it spun towards the ceiling like a
comet.

Everyone’s
eyes went up to watch it fall down.

Thus—hardly
a soul saw Link as he swiftly rolled on the ground—between Mordun’s legs—and
jumped up behind him, giving him a kick in the rear.

The air
screamed as Link swung both swords about ceremoniously and struck an audacious
pose…aimed directly at Mordun.

The crowd
cheered.

Kafei
smirked.

Mordun
panted.

And Link
smiled.

Mordun
shrugged.“Finish it.”

Immediately,
Link spun around—tripping Mordun’s leg with a flat slap to the knee.Then the boy was behind him…and using his
limbs and the safe flat of the blades, he shoved Mordun’s body in seven
different places.

The Xonan
was merely confused at first.But
whatever Link did to him, Mordun suddenly felt the world turn upside down two
and a half times.He landed hard on his
back.

SHIIIING!!

Both swords
formed a ‘X’ around his neck.Mordun
couldn’t help but laugh.

As Link
giggled, the Swordmaster rose a hand and announced loudly:“Man Down!Winner, the Boy!”

Mordun
regained some breath as Link brought back the swords and extended a hand to
help him up.He wouldn’t believe it
when Therald told him later on; but by the time Link beat him, the battle hadn’t
even lasted forty seconds!

“You
are…..magnificent,” Mordun managed to pant.Therald gave him the pitcher of water and after a swig the man
continued:“Do me a favor and never let
me anger you sometime….”

Link smiled
bashfully as the two stepped away.As
he turned around, he was a bit overcome by the line of applause and chanting
being thrown upon him.Sword still in
hand, he made a desperate attempt to rejoin Kafei and get the heck out of
there.But someone pushed him back in,
so there he stood blushing and hesitantly accepting the praise in his usual,
innocent silence.

He needed
to return the sword, he thought to himself.Maybe that way they would leave him alone.

As soon as he turned around
however, a huge sliver of metal flew at him.

Link jumped
back and raised his sword at the last second.

CLANG!!!!!!!

Everyone
gasped.

Mordun and
Therald spun around.

Kafei
furiously ran towards the arena but stopped at the backs of the inner
onlookers.

Link pushed
back against the large blade, panting, and found himself standing face to face
with a very tall creature.He was a man
slow in gait and even more frozen in features.An icy grin remained plastered on his weathered face; a face that once
must have been regal but somehow turned brown and scratchy with too many weeks
exploring the harshest of elements.He
held a very long blade in his grasp.It
was dull and gray….lost of all its shine….and yet surprisingly sharp.It almost matched the dull brown of his
cloak…which hung very wide and loose about the man’s thin, rectangular
figure.Everything about him….from the
way he drew back his sword…the way he slowly paced about….the way he gently
turned his head suggested a very stiff and very firm demeanor.A man who knew what he wanted to know and knew
how to make what he wanted to know known.For an uncomfortably long amount of time, his eyes rested on Link as he
spoke softly—yet loudly enough for the whole hushed crowd of shocked onlookers
to hear:

“An expert
man of the sword indeed.I see this boy
can block any blade that comes to him.Even those that betray the line of sight.”

Link
regained his breath.Nowhere in the
battle had he lost it.And yet—in one
sudden attack—this stranger had stolen it from him instantly.

The
stranger retracted his sword and continued his speech.“He fights with the spirit of the forest….
unleashes the fury of fire…. summons the grace of water…. deceives the essence
of shadow…. and surprises…. the spirit…. of a nation.”He paused….then suddenly smirked at the crowd.“Sounds poetic, doesn’t it?It’s been written before…..
about…….’heroes’.”Once again he looked
at Link.“Heroes………. of unbeknownst
courage….”

Link stared
firmly back at the man.The boy wasn’t
frowning or grimacing.But most likely
it was something wary enough to fall between….

Kafei
finally managed to step out of the crowd.“Look, mister…,” he stood behind Link with his hands on the boy’s
shoulder.“We don’t want any
troublemakers….”

The
stranger kept looking at Link.“Do I
detect…..the voice of the mayor’s son?”He slowly, liquidly, tilted his head upwards and met Kafei’s gaze.“Who is presently a co-owner of an inn….
away from his young wife…. encouraging his son to engage in… how should I put
it…. highly dangerous swordfights?”

“Oh….he
isn’t?” the stranger leaned forward, then paced to the side.“I guess that makes sense.A parent would be too caring and cautious to
let their beloved children engage in life-threatening situations without any
form of common sense.”

These words
hit Kafei hard.But he wasn’t
angry.Instead, he bit his lip and
stared off towards the arena floor.

Mordun and
Therald noticed this especially.

Just then,
the Swordmaster stood up.“Sir….if all
you came here to do was challenge the integrity of our citizens, you’ve come to
the wrong place.”

“Oh….I’ve
come to the right place, all-right,” the stranger smiled.He stepped leisurely towards the other end
of the arena and swung his sword about ceremoniously.“I’ve come here to this very building to do one thing and to do
one thing only…”

The
Swordmaster was losing his patience, but his voice kept calm.“And what is that, stranger?”

WOOOSH! He
spun around, the long blade aimed at Link of all people.“Why….to challenge your greatest swordsman
to a duel, of course.That’s all I
want.”His eyes met Link so softly they
stung.“A simple….friendly….duel….”

Link had to
clench his free hand to stop from shaking.Why was this man having such an effect on him?Nevertheless, their eyes remained firmly
locked.

“All well
and good,” the Swordmaster replied.“But sudden attacks from behind are not an honorable way to get such a
match started!And if you wish to challenge
him, you must have your sword replaced.”

The
stranger kept aiming it at Link from afar.“Why, pray tell?”

“Why….isn’t
it obvious?It’s far too long!It’s not regulatory for duels…”

The man’s
eyes slowly closed.“Tell
me…..Master….,” he slowly lowered his sword and faced up at the hairy
veteran.“….wouldn’t a sword of
extraordinary length be just about as regulatory in your Book as a student of
extraordinary shortness?”

The
Swordmaster’s eyes narrowed.“A sword
of that length isn’t allowed—“

“That is
very well in the Book of Rules, I’m sure,” the stranger said—quickly paused—and
let the next part roll off his tongue:“And what of allowing midgets to engage in battle?”

“He’s not a
midget!” Kirk shouted from the crowd.“He’s a boy!”

“A boy!”
the stranger remarked, then grinned wide.“A child wielding a sword!”He
glanced up at the Swordmaster and cocked his head to the side.“Well isn’t that dandy.A child student working under the tutelage
of the Clock Town Master.”

The
Swordmaster began to stutter.“Well…he….i-is…..of exceptional sk-skill…”

“A child
has been engaged in swordplay under an esteemed master for—what was it that you
said—two years and running!My my….how
remarkable…”The stranger began
swinging the sword about again in ‘practice’ as he finished off with:“A marvelous thing for the outer Guild of
Trainers to learn about…..wouldn’t you say?”

The
Swordmaster’s mouth clenched shut.

The room
was eerily silent.

Until it
was pierced by the stranger’s words:“Oh come now, gentleman!Relax!This tension is uncalled
for!”He paced about, glancing at both
the crowd and the Swordmaster in turn.“We pride ourselves in breaking the Book of Rules.Sins they may be….but isn’t the art of the
blade a sin it itself?A proliferation
of the pointy-eared-soul and his quest to dominate the lengths of the world
through prowess in carnal violence?When a student becomes an expert in even a fraction of this, he
must come to expect the encumbering whole.”He then spun about and faced Link again.His mouth lingered before saying.“I would like….to challenge the whole
strength.And today we’ll see which is
the lesser of two evils.”

Everyone in
the room murmured.

Mordun
stroked his beard, staring at the stranger.

The man in
question grinned wide….dreadfully soft.

Link was
still.

The
Swordmaster slowly sat back in his seat.The odd sight of sweatdrops on his elderly brow was quickly hidden by
the stroke of a wrist before he sighed and said:“It all depends……will the Green One accept the stranger’s
challenge?”

Only then
did Link’s eyes avert themselves from the stranger.He glanced at the Master…then at the waiting crowd….then up to
Kafei.

Kafei was
still staring off into space.

Link’s lips
parted.He reached a hand out and tugged
Kafei’s sleeve.

The mayor’s
son jumped—as if startled—he cleared his throat and leaned forward to say:“You be careful, Link” before patting the
boy on the shoulders and leaving for the spectator’s position.

Link’s
heart fell for some reason at that.He
slowly turned to see the grin still on the stranger’s face…..and his eyes
meeting his own.For the first time
that day, Link felt angry.He no longer
looked meticulous and rigid as he got into a starting position, his sword at
ready.Instead he looked
curved….bent….and determined.

The
Stranger already had his long sword ready before half of his speech was
over.He didn’t have to move a muscle.

“Th-This is
wrong…,” Therald whispered to Mordun.“That m-man’s sword is almost h-half the size of Link!And a-after all th-that baloney he said, the
S-Swordmaster’s not going t-to do anything!”

Mordun held
a hand.“Shh….Therald.Don’t be too quick to worry.This is Link we’re concerned about here….”

Therald was
quiet, but he looked over Mordun’s still shoulder in apprehension nevertheless.

Kafei was
shaking visibly….although nobody was focused on seeing him.They were all locked on Link and the
stranger.The young man let out a
nervous breath and wrung his hands together.

The
Swordmaster looked weary this time.Nevertheless, he rose his hand.

“Ready!”

Link’s
fingers gripped tightly to the hilt.

“Set!”

The
stranger’s grin suddenly morphed into a frown.

Link’s
pupils narrowed.

“FIGHT!!”

The room
jumped….but it turned out only to be the spectators in expectation.The Swordmaster had shouted out, but both
Link and the Stranger were dreadfully still.Their fighting stance was nonetheless tense, and they held their weapons
by the hilt tightly.Link with one steady
hand to his nimble blade; the Stranger with two strong grips to his hulking
sword.

A burning
tension danced in the center of the arena as Link and the Stranger slowly paced
along the outer rim—poised directly opposite of the other.A fire pulsed in Link’s eyes and shot out
with every trigger-pull of his heart; only to land flat and fall off the
stonefaced frown of his opponent.

Such a
bitter freeze-frame of emotion.It
taunted Link more than any monster he could remember.Except…..

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Lightning
flashed.

Inside the
circle of brilliant flame, the thunder echoed like an agonized banshee.

Link
panted, clutching his wounded side in one hand and the Master Sword in another.

Ganon
raised both swords beneath his chin.He
stared emotionlessly.

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Link’s lips
parted.

He felt his
heart drop.

The crowd
was cheering.The room was rising.The world was swirling.

The
Stranger stared in a never-ending frown.

Link’s eyes
twitched.

::::::

Link paced himself
carefully across the room full of dancing colors.The air inside stung and burned him at the same time.Every half-a-minute the bowels of the moon
would shake.

And there
was Majora’s Mask.Floating ever so
dreamily.Its unearthly gaze set permanently
on Link.Never-changing.

Link’s eyes
narrowed.He whipped out his bow and
arrow and took aim.

It was then
that the stonefaced Mask charged up with an aura of light; and aimed a
streaming fire of energy at the little Hero.ZZZZZZAAAP!!!

::::::

Link
stumbled.

For a naked
moment, the crowd gasped in shock.

Therald
made a half-step, as if he had to do something.

Link found
his footing.He was sweating
profusely.He looked up.

And then…..right
then….the Stranger was smirking.

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

“So, you
think you can protect them from me.You've got guts, kid,” Ganondorf smirked.

Drenched in
rain, a wide-eyed Link tried his best to hide his trembling.But the image of a frightened Zelda blurring
out the gates of Hyrule City set forth a fire from inside him.

With a
brave frown he held out his shield and…

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

….raised
his sword.

“HIYAAAUGH!!”

Link’s tiny
feet morphed into hooves of thunder and in less than a second he was across the
arena, bringing his blade down against the Stranger’s.

CLANG!!!!

Sparks
flewed.

Spectators
cheered.

The
Stranger smirked even more.

The fuel
fell onto the fire in Link’s eyes and he swung again.

“RAAUGH!!!”

CLANK!!!

The blow
deflected the Stranger’s blade, but he kept his ground.It was as if he was in control the entire
time….or so he desired to convey.

Link felt
it more than anything.He spun about
and flew down a diagonal arc of singing metal.

SHIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!Link’s sword slid down the length of the
Stranger’s till their hilts met and the two opponents practically leaned
chest-to-chest.

Something
in the Stranger’s eyes twinkled, and Link felt a burning fire in his chest.

*FLASH*

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Bright
torches.

Zelda’s tomb.

Flower
petals falling into the abyss.

A shuddering
cry.

The torches
blow out.

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Link
gasped.He fell back.The sword nearly slipped from his grip.

The
Stranger paced around him.

The
spectators were murmuring.

The little
boy shook his head.There was a
cry.With a growl, he raised his sword
again and met what he knew was coming.

CLANG!!!

Their
swords met.

Link hopped
back to his feet and thrust deeply and sharply.

The
Stranger spun around and swung with a downward arc.

Link
blocked in reverse, twirled about, and raised his sword.

SHIIIIIIIIIING!!!

Again, both
swords’ lengths slid against each other and the opponents came together so
close they could smell each other’s breath.

And it
burned again.

*FLASH*

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Screams in
the street.

A battle in
Hyrule Courtyard.

Alone by a
fountain.

The white
horse against the earth.Its throat is
missing.

Zelda’s
tears.Red tears.She looks up from a deflated flower and with
a cry, her hand explodes.

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Link’s
breath left him.

This time
when he stumbled, he nearly fell outside the circle of the arena.Everything was shaking and spinning on a
pin.And that pen was in the center of
Link’s heart.

His eyes
bled….or was it blood?

Link!!

The
boy’s lips quivered.Zelda’s face
turned pale as the coffin lid went over.

“LINK!!!”
Kafei shouted for a second time.

Link’s eyes
widened.He grit his teeth and raised
his sword just in time.

CLANG!!

The
Stranger had just struck, but to no avail.

“RrrrrrrrRRAAAAUGH!!”
Link screamed and shoved his entire weight into his opponent.

The
Stranger’s blade flew back in his grasp and never again found a better
opportunity to strike.Link had turned
into a cyclone of metal.The boy’s
sword was quick enough to dodge oxygen.It swung around, twirled about, danced against, and manipulated every
parry that the Stranger had to offer.And when the man tried to get in one last strike, Link ducked, rolled,
and leapt upwards with a slash that struck the longblade so hard it spun out of
the Stranger’s grasp and embedded itself into the ceiling.

SWOOOSH-CONG!-THUNK!!!!

The
Stranger’s feet suddenly flew out from under him as Link tripped the man, spun
about, and brought his sword down less than an inch away from the downed
opponent’s neck.

Silence……….

The audience
was stunned dead.But not with
reverence as before when Mordun was done.But this time in utter shock.What had brought out this monster from the boy?

Link’s
pants came with his sweat came with his shakes came with his eyes that strained
to focus on the downed Stranger……for the man was still grinning.

“Just as I
expected….,” he whispered so that only Link could hear.“….but what I truly came here to find out,
boy, is do you have the courage to finish it when the time comes?”

Link’s
mouth snapped shut.For a second, he
didn’t even breathe.

The
Stranger continued.If he could, he
would have kissed the tip of the sword.“What surprises you, little one?Don’t you know that everything must someday catch up with us?Like the validity of our courage?”

Link’s eyes
turned into ovals.He started to
tremble for a reason he didn’t quite understand.His skin turned wet.

Would
you…..have the courage……….to finish it….

“Winner….the
Green One!!”

Slowly,
gradually….everyone clapped.

And yet,
Link stood there….trembling……until—

“Link….,,”
Kafei put his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

The young
lad jumped.He immediately sheathed his
sword and stood there, staring off into space.

The
Stranger slowly got up, not caring to brush himself off.The applauds began to die out as all
attention focused on him.

“What is
your name, sir?” asked Adasmith.“You
who would fight such a challenging young student.”

“My name is
trivial,” the Stranger said.“But if
you wish you can call me……,” there was an awkward hesitance in his voice, but
he covered it with a grin and glanced at Link through the corners of his eyes,
“……Jonas.”

As the
crowd murmured about, Link’s gaze trailed off.He hadn’t been defeated.But it
could just have been as well.What
happened to his breath?What happened…

“Link…..”

The little
boy looked up at Kafei with weak eyes.He took a wounded breath and signed something with limp fingers.

“…..,”
Kafei nodded slowly.“Sure…..d-don’t
worry about the clothes.I-I’ll take
them home safely….”

Link
breathed in through his nostrils.Turning like the sun, he drifted off.

Kafei
watched him go.Thoroughly dismayed.

Thoroughly
confused….

******

Sheathing
his longblade beneath his billowing cloak, Dumakyd stepped out into the alleys
of West Clock Town.Out from the
shadows he was met by two of his associates.

“How did
the introduction work, ‘Jonas’?”

Dumakyd
gave him a sarcastic smirk.Then he
said:“Jilscythe, there is a method to
all madness…even when involving the most bland of titles.Come, let’s make haste.Though the coward is presently drifting, we
must not take this time for leisure.Now, we have a place to be…”

And they
hurried off…

******

The
drifting turned out to be North Clock Town.Afternoon was in bright bloom, and a good handful of families were out
picnicking in the parks and grassy scenery.Surrounding the wide area, the sandstone walls of the city promised
protection and security to those enjoying their serene excursions.

If there
was much to enjoy to begin with, that is.Link eventually shuffled over to a corner of where the walls met.Behind a pillar of an abandoned children’s
playground, he sat with his wall to the stone.A pained breath left him, and as the wind began to dip its way down over
the soil…he hugged two shaking arms to himself….

And let his
mind loose…..

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

His
desperate lungs heaved.His heart
balanced between beating and breaking.Through his bobbing vision, Link saw a huddled mass of soldiers and
servants in the center of Hyrule Market.Commoners and city dwellers had formed an outer ring around them; and
they were already sobbing.

That was
the sight Link needed to open his mouth.And in spite of all the pain leaping forth from his throat—even then, no
words came out.

Out of the
crowd, a haggard Impa saw him.She
caught Link’s body before it could fly into the huddle.

“Don’t
look, Link,” she breathed.He struggled
in her strong arms, and she tried to wrestle him down.“She’s gone….don’t look, please….”

======

“………I failed her………”

Link looked
up.Wet trails slid down his face, but
otherwise he was perfectly stoic.Slowly, he raised his left hand up for Impa to see.It startled her, for the Triforce of Courage
was pulsing with golden fury from his skin.

“…………*it*
knows of my failure…………*it* knows that I let the Sage of Wisdom fall………”

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Link’s eye
clenched shut.He tilted his face up to
the Terminian sky and held tightly to his burning left hand.

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Link’s whole body spun in her
grasp.His damp eyes clenched shut, and
he dashed the last two or three steps needed to pierce the wall of bodies and
see that which was in the center….

And Link
saw her…

And his
face died for the first time…

But not the
last time…

======

Impa swallowed.Her own eyes started to water.For once, the strong Sheikah had no answer.

But Link
did.He looked to the casket. The
Triforce’s power lit his sad face.

“…………*it*
knows……that I loved her……and it knows that she never heard me………”

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Link’s body
shuddered in North Clock Town.The wind
increased.It stuck to his skin.

Water
trickled out the cracks of his eyelids.An arrow flew out from deep inside the earth and impaled him.

He slumped
over to his side…surrounded by dust….and shook.

There was
always the risk that the happy citizens out and about could see his sobbing
form.

He didn’t
care….

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

He slumped to his knees beside the
Princess’ body.

A bleeding
hole had been gored into the center of her throat.A thin, red cut wrapped up from the underside of her fair
chin.Her neck leaked forth onto her
silken dress; staining it forever red.

But what
was worse….what was the last straw….was when Link’s eyes drifted down her
body…down her arms….and to her wrists.

Her left
hand was there, but her right hand was gone.

Her right
hand…

======

"Please...," Zelda placed
her soft hand on his left knee. "Look at me..."

His vision slowly rose to meet
hers.

The princess' eyes were nearly turned
invisible with the glistening tears begging to come out. No one in that age had
ever received such a compassionate gaze. Link was the lucky one.

"You're not guilty. You are
innocent, Link," she said.

======

Mido
fumed.“Well you’re nothing but a
coward!”

Link’s eyes
went wide.

“That’s
right!You heard me!A gutless coward!!!”

======

Zelda
leaned forward."Don't feel
ashamed for being silent all these years. Under the heat of hatred and
false-blame….”

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

“Just as I expected….,” Jonas
whispered so that only Link could hear.“….but what I truly came here to find out, boy, is do you have the
courage to finish it when the time comes?”

Jonas
continued.If he could, he would have
kissed Link’s sword at his neck.“What
surprises you, little one?Don’t you
know that everything must someday catch up with us?Like the validity of our courage?”

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Ganondorf stopped running his
fingers across the keys to the organ.With a slumping sigh he paused and then said rather calmly:“The Triforce parts are resonating.They are combining into one again.”

Adult Link
held his sword firmly—an eye glancing up at Zelda’s crystal imprisonment every
second or two.Navi huddled,
frightened, behind the Her of Time’s neck.

Ganondorf snickered.“The two Triforce parts that I could not
capture on that day seven years ago…..I didn't expect they would be hidden
within you two!”

Saria exclaimed.“It’s about Zelda, isn’t it?!You think you failed her!!You think there’s nothing that can be done
of this!!”

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Jonas said.“He fights with the spirit of the forest….
unleashes the fury of fire…. summons the grace of water…. deceives the essence
of shadow…. and surprises…. the spirit…. of a nation.Sounds poetic, doesn’t it?It’s been written before….. about…….’heroes’.Heroes………. of unbeknownst courage….”

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

“We're both alike, Link,” said
Zelda.“We're both afraid of that which
we don't know. Me? I was afraid of never being able to know the hearts of you
or my kingdom. And you, Link, I sense that you're afraid to live in a world
that was stolen from you by angry words.”

======

Saria was reaching a fever
pitch.“For the love of Din,
Link!!It wasn’t your fault!!None of this was your fault!!Impa’s told me all about it!!”

======

“No, Link,” Impa said firmly.She clenched her fists and averted her eyes
from his gaze.“I was with her on that
day.I was the one given the lifelong
charge of protecting the Princess.It
was I who failed Zelda on that day, not you.You are as humble in voice as you are in action.Listen to me, Link.Do not accept the blame for what has
happened….”

======

Ganondorf sneered.“These toys are too much for you!”

The room turned dark and hearts
caught fire as he slowly lifted his hand like it was a mountain and displayed
the Triforce of Power in all its blinding fury.

His eyes flared and his hair lifted
as he growled.“I command you to return
them to me!!!”

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Jonas
smirked.

::::::

Lying in bed….under the darkness of
night and the curtains….Link’s eyes fluttered open.

Slowly, he
glanced at his left hand.It was
glowing softly….alive….ever present.

The boy
swallowed.His eyes grew misty.Nevertheless, he turned over in bed and
‘hugged’ his left hand closer to his chest.

And it
warmed him….

As it
burned……him………

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Impa cocked her head.She took a step towards Link. Something
on him was glowing………

“………I
failed her………”

Link looked
up.Wet trails slid down his face, but
otherwise he was perfectly stoic.Slowly, he raised his left hand up for Impa to see.It startled her, for the Triforce of Courage
was pulsing with golden fury from his skin.

“…………*it*
knows of my failure…………*it* knows that I let the Sage of Wisdom fall………”

======

He slumped to his knees beside the
Princess’ body.

A bleeding
hole had been gored into the center of her throat.A thin, red cut wrapped up from the underside of her fair
chin.Her neck leaked forth onto her
silken dress; staining it forever red.

But what
was worse….what was the last straw….was when Link’s eyes drifted down her
body…down her arms….and to her wrists.

Her left
hand was there, but her right hand was gone.

Her right
hand…

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Link’s body
shook.He tried to cover his face.But then he had to cover his glowing
hand.But then he had to cover his
cursed mouth.

The wind
flew into his heart and tore it apart.

~*~*~*~

^^^^^^

Sliced off….hacked
off….leaving only a bloody stub…

The
defiled…naked blood of the princess pooled around it…

Ripped off
and stolen…

Link
lowered his head and wept.He never
stopped.And on days to follow when his
face would be dry, he’d actually be sobbing inside.

======

“One week
ago….on a Tuesday….at precisely fifteen hundred hours….Princess Zelda embarked
on her scheduled trip to Kakariko Village.She was traveling on horseback, accompanied by the most elite squad of
our Hylian cavalry.The procession
through Hyrule City was to be slow, and steady.There were no detours to be made.The path would take them straight down the Royal Path from Hyrule
Castle, down Main Street, pass Hyrule Courtyard and the Market, and towards the
awaiting gates of the city.The urban
stretch was entirely checked and cleared of all strangers and citizens for the
time being.After all….since the
Imprisonment War transpired and ended all at once….efforts have been made to
tighten security, especially in regards to the Princess’ well-being.Now I was leading this cavalcade.And as soon as we entered Main Street, chaos
ensued.Arrows came down out of nowhere
from the rooftops.Spear-tipped deku
sticks were chucked out our flanks.In
the first attack alone, four of our horsemen fell.We immediately formed a circle of protection around Zelda…and
attempted to rush her safely back to the Castle.It was then that a wall of flame erupted at the entrance of Main
Street from which we came.Many of us
suspected sorcery….and sooner than naught we assumed that we had a battle with
a warlock on our hands.All this time,
the arrows and spears kept flying.Our
archers attempted to pick off the attackers….but soon enough we all realized—to
our horror—that these fiends were nowhere to be seen.They were virtually invisible…a wonder that only black magic can
conjure up to their aide.All of these
factors thrown into one hellish mix was—ashamed as I am to say—enough to break
up the line of our defenses.There was
no more order to Zelda’s bodyguards.And suddenly, the princess’ life itself was in danger.I took charge.I guided her and her horse away from the battle scene.It was a desperate attempt, but if the rest
of the soldiers were willing to sacrifice themselves to distract the attackers,
than I could take Zelda to a structure as safe as the Temple of Time.But no sooner had we taken this route that
an arrow flew forth from its invisible host and fatally wounded my horse.I fell to the ground.The Princess cried out to me, but I shouted
back an order.I….I commanded her to
make haste to the Temple of Time.After
all, we were so close to it….there was no other alternative.The Princess was on her own………………………
Somewhere along the way, she must have been redirected by the invisible
onslaught.Thusly, her path to the
temple turned into a winding flight of misdirection.Princess Zelda lived a sheltered life in the Castle….and as a
result, she never did get to explore the streets of Hyrule City enough to ever
truly memorize its labyrinth of avenues.Her royal steed was also prone to being spooked from even the simplest
of outbursts.Whatever the case—I am
convinced—our foe knew of all these negative factors.And he used them all—purposefully—to get the Princess somewhere
alone….vulnerable….and without any form of protection.She died a mere twenty two minutes after the
procession began.And as soon as she
did, the invisible onslaught stopped.The firewall dissipated.The
arrows and deku spears stopped flying.When our soldiers and doctors first came across the Princess….her throat
had been inflicted with a fatal wound.It ran up…thin and deep…from her voice box down to the bottom of her
chin.It was purposefully cut so that
she would live long enough to feel the pain of her right hand being severed off
uncleanly…..as it was missing at the scene of the assassination.”

At the end
of her testimony, Impa stopped pacing, sat down at the end of the long wooden
table, and folded her hands under her chin.

“Dear
subjects…..the King of Hyrule has ordered us all here…..to start figuring out
who did this………..and why.”

Silence.

It was
hours after the funeral.And all who
had gathered in the tent outside Kakariko at the base of Death Mountain were as
grave as the overcast sky that afternoon.

Darunia looked off into space, a
granite frown plastered across his features as he ran his dry fingers over each
other in intense, furious thought.

Nabooru had her chin rested in her
palm.She leaned against the table and
spun a dagger into it with her other hand.

King Zora looked sleepy….but it was
in fact the obese Zora’s version of sorrow.He nodded his head into nothingness and strained to keep his fish eyes
dry.

Ruto had taken this all very
emotionally, and she kept trying to choke back sobs so as to not disrupt the
silence of solemnity in that room.

Rauru was stone-still.Even in the direst of situations, he could
remain calm.His age contributed to his
acceptance of things.Even the most
horrible of things.

Saria looked like a wounded
deer.The forest girl had her knees
tucked up and she hugged them to her chest as she bit her lip and stared into
the wood of the table.

Silence……

At the head
of the table, Impa waited.She
blinked.She sighed.She hung her head.

After a
while…a long while…the woman managed to say:“Surely, it is our place to mourn for the gone princess.But as there is a time of mourning, there is
also a time of action.”She looked up
firmly.“We must act…..with our
collective wisdom, we can find an instinct to rely upon.We’ve come against odds before.For Zelda’s sake, let’s not sit idly upon
the honor of her regime……”

Still…..silence…..

And then
Rauru spoke.“After the Hero of Time
returned from his Seven Year excursion into the uncharted future….he brought
back with him the sacred memory of Ganondorf’s defeat.Most of us here are the sages that retain
that memory and retain that memory alone.We are all uniquely linked to the Seventh Sage…Nayru rest her soul.We are all indebted to her lifelong quest to
exorcise the evil that was once let loose upon our lands.We….more than anyone else….are qualified to
seek out an answer amidst our wounds.For when the fair lady Zelda died….she took a piece of all of us with
her.”

The immense man jumped up and
boomed.“DISHONORABLE WRETCHES!!!Fiends of no redemption are those who would dare
rip out the life from an innocent little monarch!!We are dealing with no more than common thieves!Bastards of the night!Hearts as dry as sand---“

But Darunia
instead glared at her.“You know very
well what this looks like!Only the
rogues of your kind would be so gutless as to make this sort of inhumane
strike!!”

Nabooru
stood up in a flash and stared him in the eyes.“Your insinuations are unfounded!!My women are free, living beings now!No longer do we follow the code of heartless fiends!That was the way of snake-tongued ruler,
Ganondorf.And as you well know—ever
since the Hero of Time return we have silenced that devil man’s power!”

At the
infamous Gerudo insult, Nabooru’s amber eyes bulged.Before she could whip out her scimitar and slice the Goron’s
throat in twain, King Zora’s hand touched her shoulder.

“Leave him
be to his insults, desert child,” the blubbery fishman said and cast a
suspicious eye at Darunia.“Thieves are
not the only ones who could have done this.Nay, for this act was just as mindless as it was heartless.Any simple Goron lughead could have been
talked into killing the Princess if it meant a hearty appetite of granite as a
reward.”

Darunia
fumed.“Do you mean to insinuate that
my people can be so easily bribed?”

“People,
please!” Impa cried out in desperation.“Do not be so quick to blame!Neither Gerudos or Gorons could have done this.Neither race professes a wizardry capable of
the mana necessary to cast the flame and invisibility we witnessed that day!”

“Ah!”
Darunia grinned mischievously.“But the
Zoras pride in their magical talents!Surely any single one of them could have lent a hand to this
assassination!”

“Don’t be
stupid!” Ruto pouted and crossed her arms.“We couldn’t have done a flame wall!Water is our specialty!Fire is
out of our element!”

King Zora
stood his fat self up and glared at Nabooru this time.“Think twice before speaking in such a tone
to my darling daughter!”

Nabooru
smirked.“What’re ya gonna do about it,
blueballs?”

“People,
please!” Impa—deflated—pulled at her hair and hung her head.“This…..This is not what Zelda would want.”

Everyone
remained glaring at each other still….

Saria rubbed
her blue eyes and continued staring at the table.

And then
Rauru said:“There is one person who
has not spoken up yet….”

Everyone
looked at him.

Rauru’s
head tilted to the side.“Let’s hear
the Hero of Time’s opinion.”

“……,”
everyone looked across the tent in one accord.

At the far
end of the table—opposite Impa—Link finally raised his head.His eyes were moist, but his face was as
emotionless as ever.He caught sight of
all the gazes aimed at him, and looked away.

“Dear Hero
of Time…,” Rauru spoke.“What is your
theory on our foe?”

Silence.

Link didn’t
look at them.

“Link….,”
Impa said softly.She leaned
forward.“Tell us what you think….”

Then he
looked up.He glanced at Saria.

She glanced
back.

Slowly, he
started to sign.

Saria
‘read’ what he had to say.

“Wh-What
does he tell us?” Ruto asked.

Saria
swallowed.When she spoke, there was a
bit of choking in her voice.“He….H-He
says that we all failed Zelda.‘All
of us……..failed her.’”A
pause.She blinked the tears out of her
eyes as she looked helplessly at the rest.“’And our enemy….is a person who knew that we would fail her……from
the very start……’”

Everyone’s
heart sank.Darunia slowly sat back
down in his chair.

Nabooru
went off pacing towards the edges of the tent.

King Zora
stood in place and stared at the floor.

And
Link…..Link looked away and drifted off again….

======

The boy
blinked.His faced said ‘I’m stunned’.

Across from
him in the gardens, Zelda—who was sitting on a bench—swallowed nervously.“Um…..d-did any of that gross you out?”

Link
scratched his head.He tried to shrug
it off, but the truth was—he was blushing furiously.

That just
had to make the princess giggle.

And so she
did, “Hehehehehe!Yes….well….as silly
as it is, that’s how it happens.That’s
how babies are made.”

Link let
out a breath and sat down on the bench, looking exhausted.

Again she
laughed.“Jeez!Don’t make yourself look like you’ve been
roasted over an open fire!It’s the
facts of life!”A pause.“Oh…and um…..Link?”

He looked
at her.

She smiled
serenely, “If you’re at all…..erm…..embarrassed that I—of all people—was the
one to share that with you.Don’t feel
bad.You just……well…..you just never
got the chance to hear it beforehand.You lived with Kokiri all your life and……well…..you n-never had
a….parent around to tell you.”

Link
nodded.There was a calm smile on his
face, and that eased Zelda.Then he
signed something.

“Sometimes,
Zelda, you’re like a mother to me……”

Zelda was
no longer giggling.

An awkward
pause.A butterfly drifted by and
landed on a nearby flower.A soft touch
of breeze kicked at the two; embracing them with life.

Zelda
cleared her throat and smiled.“That’s
very sweet, Link.But……I don’t ever
want to be a mother to you…”

Link’s lips
parted.He cocked his head to the side
as if to say:“Oh?”

“Uh uh,”
Zelda smiled.She placed a gentle hand
on Link’s and smiled into his eyes.“I’d rather be…..something else to you, Link…..”

Link signed
with one hand.“Like what, Zelda?”

She opened
her lips.

Link
waited.

She
paused.She hesitated.Then she looked down to their feet and
smiled bashfully.“I……heh…..I-I’m not
sure yet, Link….”

Link was
very….very confused.And yet….he was
very very happy.He kept staring at her
hand.

Zelda
looked up, still smiling.

And at that
moment, Link brightened.With a curious
grin he gestured:“Do you ever want
to have a baby someday, Zelda?”

Zelda
blinked.She took a moment to compute
that.But before she could finish, she
took one look at her hand—which had magically shifted itself to Link’s knee
halfway through their moment of silence.Well, it was her moment to blush and she retracted her hand so quickly
it nearly startled the Hero of Time.

Link bit
his lip and signed something apologetic.

Zelda shook
her head and suppressed a giggle.“Nothing to be sorry about, Link.That’s just…..heh…..a g-good question.”A long pause.She overcame her
blush and looked him straight on….calmly…..“To be honest with you….I don’t know
about that either.But……whatever comes
will come.”

Link
nodded….as if he understood this.His
hands drifted through the air.

“Whatever
comes will come………”

======

Whatever
comes will come……

Link stared
blankly at the Royal Family’s grave.He
stood with his legs parted…like a statue….and his hand stuck in his cloak’s
pockets.

The rain
drenched him from all angles.It soaked
his hair…fell off his bangs…and coated his sapphire eyes.

He didn’t
care.For as he stared at the last
remnants of her……the rain served as a great camouflage.

It felt as
if an eon had passed before Saria ran in from the entrance of the
graveyard.She was carrying with her a
leather umbrella donated from Hyrule Castle.“Link!” she cried loud enough to be heard over the downpour.“Come on!Impa’s about to start the meeting!”

Link’s head
tilted down.With a wounded sigh, he
spun about in the mud and trudged after Saria towards the tent erected off in
the distance of the mist…

And that
was the day that the prayer began………

^^^^^^

~*~*~*~

Dear Goddess of Time……bring her
back……please……Dear Goddess of Time……bring her back……please……Dear Goddess of
Time……

Link’s lips moved, but there was no sound.

He remained their….lying on his side….behind
a pillar of stone in North Clock Town.

Alone with his past….and the humor
of the gods….

******

Halfway
through the door, Dumakyd paused.He
looked straight up…as if the moon was falling.

His four
men stopped dead behind him.Most of
them were confused.

“Sir?”
Ninero asked.“What is it?”

Slowly…..Dumakyd
grinned smugly.He looked back at his
followers and said, “He’s beginning to lick his old wounds….”

The four
men looked confused, but nevertheless they chose to accept him.From the very beginning, that was their
choice….to follow him.

And he lead
them on through the doorway, and into the lobby of the building.

Anju looked
up from where she was sweeping behind the counter.“Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn, how can I help you?”

“Good
afternoon, milady.My name is Jonas….a
traveler from afar in search of many things.My men and I thought it’d be profitable on our part to stay in this
humble town of yours.Now….may I
ask….how can I go about renting a room?”